Though the Meteor Shower had stopped, everyone was still in serious trouble. They were trapped inside the bay, and the ice beneath their feet had been all but destroyed. Most had fallen into the sea, including many Devil Fruit users.
So many Meteors had plunged into the water that it was scalding hot. Waves of heat rolled across the bay as if the sea itself were boiling.
The ice beneath Ye Chen and the others began to crack. Tim's face went pale. "I'd rather be killed than drown. Devil Fruit users can't swim. Once we fall into the sea, we won't even have a chance to struggle."
Crack!
Tim's shouting did nothing. The ice kept breaking apart, its cracks spreading wider and wider.
Ye Chen smiled at the others, signaling them not to worry. He lightly touched the ice, and the slab, just moments from falling apart, rose into the sky.
"We're saved!"
Tim wept with relief, waving his arms like a child.
Perona snorted. "What a fuss. Look at me—I'm perfectly fine!"
Tim shot her a look. "Of course you are. You're practically a ghost. You can float wherever you like."
Kuina pointed toward Whitebeard and his men. "Ye Chen, help them."
Apart from Whitebeard and a handful of Pirates, most of the Whitebeard Pirates had fallen into the sea. People bobbed across the scalding water as far as the eye could see, their heads packed together while they struggled and cried out.
"Damn it, the water's too hot! If we don't do something, we'll be boiled alive!"
"Look at Ye Chen and his people. They're lucky. He got the Golden Lion's power and can make things fly whenever he wants."
Despair, fear, confusion, and envy churned through the crowd. Trapped in the bay with nowhere to stand, they